Giambattista Valli / Fall 2013 RTW

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If you’re speaking Giambattista Valli, “boy meets girl” usually translates to the magic moment that sparks a fabulous young romance played out in the glitzy, raucous night clubs of Ibiza or on the golden shores (or golden yachts) of St. Barth’s. But this season, the phrase applies not to the union of two aristocracies, but rather the marrying of the aesthetics of the opposite sexes.

Adapting menswear fabrics and tailoring to a woman’s wardrobe is an idea that almost every designer this season has addressed in one way or another. Of course, Valli’s girls are never going to go the pinstriped power-suit route. But surely they will find occasion—even if it’s just a quiet morning after—for Valli’s version of the trend: a big ecru parka with a fur-lined hood; a pair of full, cropped pants; and flat pony-hair platform loafers.

Mind you, Valli’s didn’t design oversize coats, comfortable footwear, and structured wool vests just because menswear is in the collective conscious. Creating clothes for a more down-to-earth side of life is also the designer’s way of differentiating his main collection from what he does for haute couture. “The two languages have really become very parallel but also very defined,” he said. “Before, it was all melted together.” His decision to do everything in mostly black and white and abstain from a lot of frou or texture (save for a flouncy bow neck on a chiffon blouse and crystal embellishment on a mint-green tracksuit—remember, minimalism is relative) meant that what he offered was very much a daytime definition of this label. To use an overused word, they were basics. They may have been basics with panels of mink, but they were basics nonetheless.

Perhaps the strongest sign that this collection reflected the evolution of Valli’s ladies and himself as a designer is the debut of his first bag, the Valli. It’s a discreet, subtly elegant accessory in beautifully crafted leather with a rectangular shape and top handle. It’s virtually absent of any hardware, save for the closure, a large golden disc.